You and the Great Purple Garlic Expedition…The Adventure Begins!

There are over 450 different types of garlic. Purple garlic is just one of them, but it is notable. The garlic
family is broad and can be classified into two categories; hardneck garlic
(Ophioscorodon) and softneck garlic (Sativum). Hardneck garlic is what people
refer to as purple garlic. This type of garlic has several even-sized cloves
and thick covered by stiff and thick ‘neck’ with purple stripes. The purple
coloration is a result of the large presence of organic pigment "anthocyanidin".
Softneck garlic also known as “white”
garlic is the most common type of garlic available. It features a white
paper-like skin. It is also easy to grow in home gardens.

Different types of
purple garlic

There are different types of purple garlic species in
various parts of the world. Among the well-known species are:

Glazed
purple stripe:
This is one of the most popular types of purple garlic. Its
main features are closes with an intense purple coloration and few numbers of
cloves per bulb. It is also commonly referred to as “Purple glazer” and “Red
Rezan”.

Purple
stripe:
The plant of this type of garlic grows up to 5 feet. It is
characterized by a large number of bulbils with a mild purple tone. Another
noticeable feature is that they are very difficult to peel. The bulb of purple
stripe garlic bears around 8 to 12 cloves. One pound of this kind of purple
garlic can provide 60 cloves. Purple stripe garlic plants survive well in cold
climates. Other names used to refer to this type of garlic are “Chesnok Red”
and “Persian Star”.

Marbled
Purple Stripe:
The plant of marbled purple stripe is resistant to cold
climates. A pound of marbled purple stride can produce around 50 cloves. This
garlic type is also known as Krasnodar Red or Brown Tempest.

The difference
between white garlic and purple garlic

White garlic is the other name for softneck garlic. The two
types of garlic have several major differences.

White
garlic is also easier to grow than the hardneck (purple) garlic.

The other
difference is that white garlic has a powerful flavor and scent while the
purple garlic tends to have a milder taste and odor. Nevertheless, the hardneck
garlic is known to retain its sweet aroma even after cooking.

Hardneck
garlic is highly perishable compared to softneck garlic.

White
garlic has more cloves compared to purple garlic.

The health benefits of purple garlic

All types of garlic contain antibiotic properties which help
to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. However, purple garlic has been widely
used by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners for its various
health benefits.

Prevents
pre-mature aging.
Hardneck garlic contains antioxidants that help to keep
wrinkles at bay. People can stay young looking for many years by regularly
eating hardneck garlic.

Purple
garlic reduces the risk of some types of cancer.
This type of garlic is
rich in allicin and germanium. Germanium helps to block the synthesis of
nitrosamine (carcinogenic agent) while allicin inhibits the development and
growth of cancer cells.

Has an
anti-inflammatory effect.
The illicin contained in hardneck garlic is said
to have an inflammatory effect. This effect plays a major role in prevention of
rheumatoid arthritis and cryptosporidium infection in the respiratory and
gastrointestinal tracts. To enjoy delicious purple garlic you will need to peel the skin off. Watch this video of a amazing
garlic peeler hack